Armed Security Officers Stop Striking Ojukwu University Lecturers From Meeting

 There was drama Thursday at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu

Ojukwu University, COOU, Igbariam, Anambra State

yesterday as gun-wielding security men from the

institution’s anti-cultism outfit chased away lecturers of

the institution, preventing them from holding a scheduled

meeting.

The lecturers under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union

of Universities (ASUU) recently dissociated themselves

from the planned reopening of the institution by its

management, a development that irked the Vice-

Chancellor, Prof Greg Nwakoby.

ASUU in the institution, led by Prof Alphonsus Aniebo and

the zonal coordinator of the group, in Owerri Zone, Dr Uzo

Onyebinama had made to commence a meeting at the

congress hall of the university, when gun-wielding security

men from the institution’s anti-cult outfit stopped them,

asking all members of the group to leave.

The group left the hall and converged under a mango tree

in the institution, but were also stopped from meeting but

they insisted.

The immediate past coordinator of ASUU, Owerri zone, Prof

Ike Odumegwu who spoke to journalists said, “the security

men said they were instructed by the Vice-Chancellor of

the university, Prof Greg Nwakoby not to let the group hold

its meeting within the institution.

“We have never been treated this way before. How can the

Vice-Chancellor send security men to stop us from

meeting? They shut the door against us and asked

everyone out of the hall as if we were common criminals.”

Prof Alphonsus Aniebo, chairman of ASUU in the institution

said, “I have been queried because of this strike and this is

geared towards terminating my appointment in this

university

“It is very unfortunate. This union made a lot of sacrifices,

we have been key to the struggles here. We will not be

intimidated. In this university, there is no budget monitoring

fund. TETFUND and NEEDS are products of ASUU

struggles, but the VC is bent on killing the university

because he has just three years to leave.

“The university wants us to break a national strike, but we

have said we will not. We will keep following the national

body of ASUU because every achievement he has here has

been as a result of ASUU struggle,” he said.

Chairman of the Owerri zone of ASUU, Dr Uzo Onyebinama

condemned the action of the Vice-Chancellor, refuting

claims that the lecturers had no reason to go on strikes

because they are not captured in the controversial IPPIS

payment model.

“Let me tell you, our struggle has been on, for a number of

reasons before the Federal Government brought in IPPIS.

For the vice-chancellor to claim that IPPIS is the sole

reason for the strike shows that he is not well informed.”

Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof Greg Nwakoby had

days back stated that academic activities will continue in

the institution. He stated that out of over 600 lecturers in

t

he university, only a few were embarking on the strike.